Over the weekend of May 29th through May 31st, Montreal welcomed the inaugural Montreal Timepiece Show. It was a brilliant occasion to discover lesser-known local brands, finally lay eyes on pieces from reputable names in the industry, and peruse a beautiful location with like-minded nerds. More than anything, it was an opportunity to finally do something that had percolated in my mind for some time.
*Images courtesy of Emery Cormier
Wrist Watch Exhibitions
The event on the final weekend of May was both unique and not. As stated in the introduction, it was the first-ever show under the “Timepiece Show” banner held in la Belle Province’s metropolis. That said, expos dedicated to wrist watches are by no means rare. In fact, the Montreal edition of the Timepiece Show is the third its organizers have planned, following Toronto (which started in 2024) and Vancouver (which started in 2025). Suffice it to say, were it not for the success of the first two, Montreal’s would never have seen the light of day.
Those three Canadian-based events – from the mind and tireless effort of Jason Hutton – are but the tip of the iceberg for those just learning about such opportunities to see beautiful wrist candy in person. From humungous, industry-led events like Watches and Wonders to more fan-friendly ones like Windup Watch Fair, timepiece shows have global outreach.
It’s a testament to the lasting, relative popularity of a product that should be extinct by now. With the advent of smartphones and now smartwatches, why would anyone want to gaze and admire the plethora of dials and complications that can characterize a watch? In fact, setting aside battery-powered, quartz crystal-regulated pieces, mechanical watches are nowhere near as accurate as a smartphone. Even the very best, COSC(Contrôle officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) and METAS-certified ones, will miss beats that a computer program does not.
Therein lies part of the charm. Not only do many watches go easy on the eyes – for those who enjoy that stuff – but those who conceive of, build, and test the calibres strive for the most precision possible. They won’t attain perfect precision, but there is a romanticism in imagining them trying.
Le Salon Richmond 1861
I’ve heard that the Vancouver Timepiece Show has a nice venue. As per some images, it does seem like a pleasant place to set up shop for an event of this nature. That said, it’s difficult to fathom a cooler location for the Montreal edition than Le Salon Richmond, located in Little Burgundy. In the shadow of downtown Montreal (about a 5-minute walk away), it is a former church repurposed for various events for anyone or any group who rents it out. If readers want an idea of just how nifty the place is, consider that the autumnal, annual Let’s Bond Gala is also set there. It’s a James Bond-themed, non-profit event to raise awareness about mental health. Yes. James Bond-themed.
Constructed in 1861 by Sulpicians, it was baptized Saint-Joseph’s Church. Its new lease on life is a perfect marriage between preserving part of the city’s heritage (Montreal and Québec’s adherence to religion was once far greater) and serving the community and general public.
Coming Together
Together with a good friend (to whom credit goes for most of the images featured in this article), I paid a visit on Sunday, May 31st. “Paid” is a misleading term in this instance since entry was free. One still had to download a ticket from the official website, but otherwise it was open house.
Over 35 brands were featured, many of them either from Montreal or elsewhere in Canada. Personally, I was chuffed that Hutton opted for Montreal as the Timepiece Show’s next destination because it was a chance to attend an event of this nature. I fell in love with watches during the early days of the pandemic, but other than browsing stores, chatting with friends online, and listening to podcasts and watching YouTube channels that spoke of watch fairs, I had never immersed myself in one.
Not knowing quite what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised. There were no pressure sales. In fact, practically no brand representative referenced prices except when prompted. Without naming names, to my recollection, only one did. And merely mentioning the price is not a pressure tactic. It’s stating facts.
What my friend and I most enjoyed were the conversations with the brand founders and representatives. They all seemed happy to be present. Accommodating, talkative, smiling, laughing, and more than willing to allow us to wear their pieces for a few minutes. Granted, the Yemas, Christopher Wards, Baltics, and Marathons of the world were there to show off stuff they knew the public already craved. And it was fantastic to finally see those brands in person.
But the conversations we had with Héron, Makoto, Tessé Watches, Solios, and José Cermeño were arguably even more exciting since they were all much smaller, local brands. Even entrepreneurs from outside the country trying to pierce the Canadian market and get the brand name out were quite engaging, like Haim (United States), March LA.B. (France), Beaubleau (France), and Serica (France).
In a funny sense, it was exhilarating, if a bit exhausting. It doesn’t take too much for the social battery to run out, so after a couple of hours I was ready to leave. That said, the time spent chatting away made for an afternoon I won’t soon forget. In fact, it only encourages me to attend other shows and pursue my adventure in wrist watch fandom.
Which shows exactly? Only time will tell.
Edgar Chaps 
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